| | | | |  | | By Caitlin Oprysko | With Daniel Lippman TRUMP OVERSHADOWS POLICY FOR CONSERVATIVE GRASSROOTS: "In years past, it would have been a political Waterloo moment for Republicans: President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats racing frantically to finalize sweeping legislation to hike taxes on corporations and spend trillions on climate change and health care subsidies." — "But instead of mounting a massive grassroots opposition to tank or tar the Inflation Reduction Act, conservatives and right-wing news outlets spent the past week with their gaze elsewhere : the FBI's search of Donald Trump's Palm Beach mansion," POLITICO's Meridith McGraw and yours truly report. — While "conservative activists did rally against the bill and targeted vulnerable Democrats in ads," even organizers on the right admitted they were caught flat-footed ( not unlike swaths of K Street ) and conceded "that they had little time to muster the opposition-party gusto of years past." — "Everything was moving so fast, the tax provisions were being debated on the fly, so there was very little time for groups to do that in-depth grassroots pushback like we saw during Obamacare," said Cesar Ybarra, FreedomWorks' vice president of policy. "To create buzz in this town and for it to penetrate across America, you need more time. So yeah, we got rolled." — "Far from a singular lapse, last week's split-screen of the Mar-a-Lago search and the passage of the IRA provided a telling portrait of pistons that move modern Republican politics. Whereas conservative activism has, in past cycles, been driven by opposition to Democratic-authored policies or actions — from Obamacare to TARP — the modern version has been fed by culture-war issues and, more often than not, Trump himself." — That dynamic could stand to benefit Democrats, even as conservative groups hammer away at certain provisions in the reconciliation bill like its infusion of funding for the IRS. But the increased attention on Trump is also mirrored in fundraising figures as Republicans look to win back control of Congress this fall, and suggest that much of the conservative grassroots energy remains behind the former president, and not the other members of his party. — "In the wake of the FBI's search of Trump's home, Trump's Save America PAC reportedly raked in millions in the following days, according to The Washington Post. Elsewhere, meanwhile, the main Republicans running in marquee Senate races have struggled to build small-dollar donor networks, forcing the National Republican Senatorial Committee to slash ad spending and campaigns, and operatives to panic." — "Ohio Democratic Senate nominee Tim Ryan has brought in more than $9.1 million compared with GOP challenger J.D. Vance 's $1 million. Just over 9 percent of the money Vance raised for his primary campaign account between April and July came from contributions from individuals, and less than a fifth of that amount was from un-itemized small-dollar donors (those who gave less than $200). Of Ryan's donations, 46 percent came from small-dollar donors." — Similarly, just 18 percent of the money Pennsylvania GOP Senate nominee Mehmet Oz raised from individuals last quarter came from small-dollar donors. That's compared with more than half for Democratic nominee John Fetterman, who brought in more than twice what Oz did altogether. — "And in Arizona, donations from individuals made up about 75 percent of GOP nominee Blake Masters' total haul between April and July, versus 95 percent for [Sen. Mark] Kelly. More importantly, the Democratic incumbent outraised Masters by more than $12 million last quarter, with 45 percent of the amount he raised from individuals coming in the form of small-dollar donations. Out of the $626,000 Masters raised from individuals last quarter, just 18 percent were un-itemized." Good afternoon and welcome to PI, where your host is reporting this week from the (currently rainy) Duxbury, Mass., bureau. What's going on out there? Send tips: coprysko@politico.com. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | ANNALS OF DARK MONEY: "A new conservative nonprofit group scored a $1.6 billion windfall last year via a little-known donor — an extraordinary sum that could give Republicans and their causes a huge financial boost ahead of the midterms, and for years to come," report The New York Times' Ken Vogel and Shane Goldmacher. — "The source of the money was Barre Seid, an electronics manufacturing mogul, and the donation is among the largest — if not the largest — single contributions ever made to a politically focused nonprofit. The beneficiary is a new political group controlled by Leonard A. Leo , an activist who has used his connections to Republican donors and politicians to help engineer the conservative dominance of the Supreme Court and to finance battles over abortion rights, voting rules and climate change policy." Lever News' Andrew Perez and ProPublica's Andy Kroll and Justin Elliott have more on the eye-popping transaction and Seid's backstory. — "The cash infusion was arranged through an unusual series of transactions that appear to have avoided tax liabilities. It originated with Mr. Seid, a longtime conservative donor who made a fortune as the chairman and chief executive of an electrical device manufacturing company in Chicago now known as Tripp Lite." — "Rather than merely giving cash, Mr. Seid donated 100 percent of the shares of Tripp Lite to Mr. Leo's nonprofit group before the company was sold to an Irish conglomerate for $1.65 billion, according to tax records provided to The New York Times, corporate filings and a person with knowledge of the matter." DOCTORS FLEX POLITICAL MUSCLE POST-ROE: OB-GYNs are emerging as a political force in unprecedented fashion in the wake of the Supreme Court's repeal of Roe v. Wade, "lobbying state lawmakers, testifying before committees, forming PACs, and launching online campaigns against proposed abortion restrictions," POLITICO's Alice Miranda Ollstein and Megan Messerly report. — Elsewhere, "legislators who are themselves physicians are using their medical backgrounds to persuade colleagues to scale back some of the more restrictive and punitive portions of anti-abortion laws being considered." The efforts are paying off in some states. — "In Nebraska, OB-GYNs' advocacy scuttled attempts to pass abortion restrictions in a summer special session, and the Republican-controlled legislature has punted the issue until early next year. In West Virginia and Indiana, doctors secured smaller wins, stripping provisions out of bills that would have imposed harsher criminal penalties on physicians and patients, and ensuring exemptions for cases of rape, incest and threats to the health of the pregnant person." — "The new groups' early successes in some of the nation's most conservative states signal the power they hope to wield in the coming months — raising money for abortion-rights candidates in the midterms and lobbying lawmakers in state capitals when new sessions convene next year — as well as in years to come." — Medical providers are hardly strangers to the halls of power across the country, though such activity is usually organized through trade associations. But "lawmakers and lobbyists said the level of advocacy from the medical community since the Dobbs decision in June is unprecedented." BRIGHTER DAYS FOR ALBANY LOBBYISTS: City & State New York's Tim Murphy reports that influence peddlers in New York State are breathing a sigh of relief almost a year into Gov. Kathy Hochul's term, after largely spending the past decade in fear of "one thing: the wrath of then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his inner circle of enforcers." — "City & State reached out to more than a dozen lobbyists and advocates representing diverse, and often opposing, interests to ask about how their jobs have changed in the past year or so. … [A]mong those who spoke publicly, a clear picture emerged: Dealing with the Second Floor, which houses the executive offices, is now a lot less nerve-wracking." — For example Mike Elmendorf, president and CEO of the Associated General Contractors of New York State, put it this way: "'I haven't been screamed at yet, and I don't know anyone who has been, so that's a marked improvement.' Now, he added, 'You can have conversations with people (in the governor's office) without them becoming irate if you offer a different perspective as you defend the interest of your client or industry. And that's certainly a welcome change.'"
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | — Jeff Solnet is now deputy assistant secretary for strategic communications at DHS. He most recently was a senior vice president at Precision Strategies, where he spent nearly seven years. — George Robinson is now head of government affairs at telecom and internet service provider Three UK. He most recently was head of UK government relations at travel company Trainline. — Galen Munroe is joining the National Air Traffic Controllers Association as deputy director of public affairs. Munroe was previously the assistant director of communications for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. — Del Renigar is now vice president for external affairs at Rio Tinto. He previously spent 17 years at GE and served in the Bush administration. — Blake Peterson is joining Meta to work in content policy regulation. She most recently was acting digital freedom coordinator at the State Department's Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy. — Jake Morabito is now director of the communications and technology task force at the American Legislative Exchange Council. He most recently was a program manager at Software.org: the BSA Foundation and is a Darrell Issa alum. — Tyler Grassmeyer is joining the Observatory Group as senior Washington analyst. He previously was deputy chief of staff for Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and is a Steve Austria, Tom Rice and Chuck Hagel alum. — Jonathon Hauenschild is now policy counsel at Lincoln Network. He most recently was director of the task forces on homeland security and comms and technology at ALEC. — Marli Collier is now comms manager for Airlines for America. She most recently was press secretary for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Republicans and is a Shelley Moore Capito alum.
| | | BUDD LEVY MAJORITY COMMITTEE (Rep. Ted Budd, Leora Levy for U.S. Senate, Inc.)
MICHIGAN VETERANS VICTORY FUND (John James for Congress, Inc., Mark Ambrose for Congress)
Sean Casten Victory Fund 2022 (Rep. Sean Casten, Democratic Party of Illinois)
| | | 53 Peaks (Super PAC)
BLAC Republic (PAC)
Carolina Federation Federal PAC (PAC)
Citizens for Virginia (Super PAC)
Conservative Grassroots Action PAC (PAC)
The IIA PAC (PAC)
Marijuana for America (Super PAC)
Mountain Third PAC (Leadership PAC: Adam Frisch)
Trust, Transparency, and Good Governance Committee (PAC)
| | New Lobbying Registrations | | Conaway Graves Group, LLC: Aristotle International, Inc.
Coyne, Jesernig, LLC: Northwest Dairy Association/Darigold
Government Relations Group, LLC: Sim Agro Inc
Government Relations Group, LLC: Safety Biometrics LLC
International Liquid Terminals Association: International Liquid Terminals Association
O'Neill And Associates: Hlc Group Enterprise, LLC
O'Neill And Associates: Advent Technologies
Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.: Centric Brands
Tremont Strategies Group LLC: Fusion For America
| | New Lobbying Terminations | | The Farley Group, Inc.: Miccosukee Tribe Of Indians Of Florida
The Farley Group, Inc.: San Pasqual Tribal Econimic Development Corporation
The Farley Group, Inc.: The Eastern Shawnee Tribe Of Oklahoma
The Farley Group, Inc.: The Shawnee Tribe
Tremont Strategies Group LLC: Shiftone, Inc. | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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